Power Hungry: Get Up and Goji Bars {Giveaway}

I love when the universe comes together at just the precise moment and allows something to work out beautifully. That happened recently to me with Camilla Saulsbury. I met Camilla, who writes the blog Power Hungry, at BlogHer Food last June. She was very excited about her new book, Power Hungry: The Ultimate Energy Bar Cookbook. We talked for a bit and I became excited about her book, too. Plus, I managed to convince her to enter Spar for the Spurtle and she did. Not only did she enter, she was selected to be a finalist with her recipe for Caledonian Dolmades (which we’ll be sharing very soon). While she was here, she kindly gave me a copy of her new book. One thing lead to another and here I am to share a recipe and give away three copies of the book just in time for October Unprocessed. How perfect is that?

You guys, this book is awesome. It is brimming with recipes for making your own wholesome energy bars with unprocessed ingredients. A few recipes incorporate protein powder, which, if you’re following October Unprocessed, can just be skipped for the month. Unlike store-bought energy bars, each bar, ball and cookie uses wholesome ingredients like whole grain oats, nuts, dried fruit and incorporates power foods like goji berries, chia seed, quinoa and flax while leaving out all that extra junk. Camilla is a phD-toting fitness trainer, endurance athlete and mom who knows all about how to fuel up for your next run, race or ride. These bars are perfect for tossing in your backpack for your next hike or packing in your child’s lunch.

With over 150 variations on granola bars, power bars, and gels- yep, even gels- Power Hungry is just the book to inspire you to make some great DIY choices about your snacks. I’m keeping a list of the recipes I’m trying soon- Quinoa Chia Apricot Bars, Greek Yogurt Muesli Bars, Green Tea and Ginger Bars, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars… I won’t list off the ENTIRE book here, but you get my drift. There are a lot of really amazing sounding recipes. Power Hungry also gives you good background information about the ingredients in the bars and has a whole section of recipes for recreating your favorite packaged bars.

Camilla has offered us three copies of Power Hungry to give away. With each book, we will include a package of chia seeds, flaxseed meal and hemp seeds so you’re ready to rock and roll when you receive the book. Follow the directions below to enter. If you have any issues getting the app to work, please contact me in the comments and we’ll figure it out. Contest ends 10/4 at 12:01 am PST and is open to US and Canadian residents only.

GET UP AND GOJI BARS

From POWER HUNGRY by Camilla V. Saulsbury

Those who know and love me will tell you I am very frugal (except they would likely select a less flattering adjective). I prefer to say that I am careful with my spending, especially when it comes to food shopping. I tell you this because I am not the person at the health food store throwing every new superfood into my hand-basket with nary a thought of price; rather, I’m the woman making a beeline to the bulk goods and comparing the price per ounce on every item. So when I do recommend a particular superfood-splurge, it’s because I think it’s truly worth it. Case in point, goji berries. Goji berries are bright orange-red berries that come from a shrub that’s native to China and they have a unique taste akin to dried cherries and cranberries. A lot of nutrition gets packed into a single berry, including powerful antioxidants, 18 different amino acids, and up to 21 trace minerals, including zinc, iron, copper, and calcium.

1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper and grease the pan with coconut oil or vegetable oil.

2. Combine the dates and warm water in a small bowl. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until fruit is soft (time will vary according to the dryness of the dates). Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Place the dates, nut or seed butter, and cardamom in a food processor and process until the mixture forms a thick paste; transfer to a large mixing bowl.

4. To the date mixture, add the oats, goji berries, cashews, coconut, chia seeds, and flaxseed meal; stir until well mixed (mixture will be very stiff).

5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Place a large piece of parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic wrap (lightly greased with coconut or vegetable oil) atop the bar mixture and use it to spread and flatten the mixture evenly in the pan; leave the paper or plastic wrap to cover. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

6. Using the liner, lift the mixture from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Uncover and cut into 16 bars.

BAR TIPS

—Use raw, dehydrated coconut if following a strictly raw diet; if not, feel free to use regular unsweetened flake or shredded coconut and any variety—including roasted— of natural, unsweetened nut or seed butter.

—Cardamom adds an exotic flavor to these bars, but you can skip it if it’s not already in your pantry. Consider adding an equal amount of ground ginger in its place.